A Storybrooke Family Christmas
by TheScaryLittleGhostGirl
Summary: Whoever had come up with the idea of a family Christmas must come from a nice, small, cosy nuclear family where everybody was garanteed to like each other. This was not one of those families. In face quite the opposite. But then again Rumplestiltskin never really had a proper family before, might as well try to enjoy it. Christmas Fic


**Ok, let's get one thing straight, shall we? This is crap, like in extreme, and it's also really cheesy and overly cliché. But I don't care, because I had fun writing it, I just hope you guys have fun reading it . **

**I did write this on Christmas Eve meaning to post on Christmas Day, but my internet decided that it hated me and didn't want to work, so here it is three days late. **

**It's also kind of AU in which Rumple isn't dead (if he is indeed dead anyway), and that they somehow managed to get rid of Peter Pan and there was no curse that sent them all back. So yeah, complete divergence from canon, buy hey ho it is fanfiction, and Christmas**

**Pairings: Rumbelle, Captain Swan (a little) and Snowing **

**A Storybrooke Family Christmas **

By Mikyla 

Whoever had conjured up the idea of a family Christmas, must have come from some nice, simple, cosy little nuclear family, where everybody was guaranteed to like one another.

This was not such one of those families. In fact, more over, the complete opposite.

Rumplestiltskin grumbled to himself, pulling his suit jacket on and fastening the buttons at his chest and a half-hearted attempt at looking presentable. It was times like these that he was grateful he did not come from this land, and therefore he had not had to deal with Christmas his whole life thus far. Seasonal celebrations including the Winter Solstice celebrations as a child and a young man, before The Ogre Wars and before he had become the Dark One, but not Christmas.

He had done some research on this celebration however, and what exactly it meant to the people of this land, and had discovered that it was apparently supposed to commemorate the birth of some kind of saviour, and so everybody would just have to forgive him for failing to understand why decorating trees, eating until you were sick and a fat man in a red suit had anything to do with this day, or in fact held any genuine significance at all.

It had been Snow White and Prince Charming's idea – as the ever optimistic peacekeepers of the family- to host this family dinner and exchange of presents, inviting the whole family. Hell, even Hook was invited, apparently due to some romantic interest he had for Miss Swan. In fact the only thing he knew would go well about this family affair, was the face that Belle had not invited her father, so that was one insufferable twit that he did not have to deal with, thank you very much.

He heard the back room door of the shop open and turned to be greeted by Belle, a vision in lacy red and gold, with her long hair hanging in loose curls down her back, make up subtly applied. Perhaps Christmas wasn't so bad after all "Hey," she greeted him, positively beaming "You ready to go?" she had been looking forward to this day for quite a long time, and had even been helping the Nolan peacekeepers with preparations, and so the least he could do was try to enjoy it.

Choosing simply to nod rather than give a verbal answer, he flung his coat over his shoulders, as towards the end of the year the December days had brought with them bitter winds, rain and devilishly cold frosts that bit harshly at exposed skin. And stepping outside the shop, arm in arm, he and Belle said very little to one another on the walk to the Charmings, which took very little time at all, enjoying the quiet while they still could.

The apartment had been done-up to gargantuan proportions, until it resembled more a Christmas wonderland than a regular family apartment. A large tree that took up about a quarter of the living space was situated in one corner, glistening from head to toe in mountains of Christmas decorations in all sizes and colours, as well as what looked like to be around a thousand tiny individual light bulbs. Tinsel, more light bulbs, holly and mistletoe leaves and berries hung from every rafter. The table in the centre was also rather impressive, china and cutlery immaculately laid out, adorned with yet more tiny decorative pieces. Rumple had to admit that Mary Margaret really had out-done herself this time.

The family was scattered about: Bae and Henry both sitting cross-legged on the floor playing a game that looked to be Monopoly – Rumple being familiar with the game but never having actually played it – while Regina watched on, a fond smile playing on her lips, Mary Margaret and David were just in the kitchen area, apparently making the final arrangements for the food, while Miss Swan and the pirate sat in one corner, their heads rather close together and talking in hushed voices. Before Rumple had time to think properly however, Mary Margaret had spotted them and come bounding over dressed in red herself, to envelop them both in a tight hug, which caught Rumple off guard slightly, not really being used to receiving hugs from anybody not Belle or Bae.

The _party _progressed rather surprisingly well. Everybody was being civil, kind in fact, to one another, albeit a slight frosty tension between Bae and Hook which was quickly dashed over thanks to peacekeeper David. Everybody actually appeared to be genuinely enjoying themselves, even Regina, which was a definite first. Belle was being her even radiant and charming self, wandering between everybody, not failing to wish them all a Merry Christmas from both her and Rumple, dragging him along as she did, allowing him to talk as little as he pleased which suited him very much. #

They may be his family, but he still had rather little to say to any of them.

"You look like a little lost puppy." came Emma's voice from behind him, offering him a glass of what he assumed was champagne, he didn't actually drink it.

"I'm sorry?" he questioned, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Following Belle around like that," indicating Belle who was in the midst of giving hugs to both Bae and Henry "You can just talk to people, you know, right? You could come talk to me an Killian if you wanted?" she offered.

Killian? First name basis were they now? "Me and the Captain don't exactly see eye-to-eye."

Rolling her eyes, Emma sighed and smiled "I guess, but itsn't that what Christmas is all about? Forgiveness, peace, goodwill to all me and that kind of crap?"

"That is what I've heard." a little smirk began to pull at the corners of his lips "Tell me Miss Swan, how is everything between you and the Captain?"

Emma gave him a look, the type of look that read _don't test me or I will destroy you, _but she grinned, reaching to gently pat his forearm "Merry Christmas grandpa."

"You and the Captain too." a breathed, gesturing back over to Hook, who appeared in animate conversation with David. Though he and the Captain did not evexctly _get on_, there was too much unpleasant history for them to even fully see eye-to-eye, but they appeared to have reached some kind of silent mutual understanding between one another, probably because now they shared a mutual incentive in the form of the people that they cared about. Seemed family really did bring people closer together. Ironic really.

Dinner was a bizarre affair, everybody packed around a table much too small to possibly appropriately accommodate nine people, but nobody really seemed to mind very much, the exception of Regina, who's feeble and petty complaints were quickly resolved and brushed over thanks to peacekeeper Mary Margaret. Everybody was being so pleasant to one another, so much so that Rumple almost preferred it when they all went on one of their many turns. Almost. Since at the same time it was nice to not be accused to wanting to murder anybody, or have swords pointing directly at his chest.

It took several attempts for Belle and Henry to bully Rumple into wearing the flimsy paper hat from the Christmas cracker – coloured gold, rather ironically. Mary Margaret and David had outdone themselves on food as well, while all too jolly Christmas songs played out across the apartment. There must be something about this time of year that simply made everybody act significantly kinder to one another, laughing and joking, even Bae and the pirate were getting along well. Rumple knew very little about the time his boy and the pirate had spent together in Neverland after he and Milah had both left, only that they had come to be good friends. He would have despised this fact if he had known it then, now however, deep down he was almost glad. Glad that Bae had somebody to take care of him, even if it had been only for a brief time.

His grandson definitely seemed to be enjoying himself as well, chatting animatedly to both of his mothers. To think at one time he had once considered killing him, wiping him clean off the face of the earth. Henry, it seemed, was the glue that bound them all together. Everybody in this rather large odd family would do anything for him, to protect him, especially Emma, Regina and Bae.

Presents came after dinner, everybody having apparently made silent promises to one another to buy only small presents, and Belle had taken it upon herself to get presents from the both of them, electing primarily for ornate books of this lands respected authors: Charles Dickens for David and Mary Margaret, Jules Verne for the Captain, Ernest Hemingway for Regina, Oscar Wilde for Henry, F Scott Fitzgerald for Emma and Jack Kerouac for Bae. All of these being people that Rumple knew very little about, and everything he did know having been diverged from Belle herself during their many conversations. Well, _conversations _was probably the wrong word. She talked, he listened - not necessarily to what she was saying, rather just to the sound of her voice. Himself simply receiving several trinkets, the most notable of which being a pocket watch from the Captain - which both he and the Captain had found rather amusing - and a hideous knitted Christmas jumper from Regina which he had blatantly refused to put on, much to Belle's amusement.

He sat in one of the arm chairs that David and Mary Margaret had dragged out from Gods knew where, with a half empty glass of whiskey in hand, with his son on his left reading his gift. Emma and Hook back in their corner, now accompanied by Henry in between them, while Regina once again watched on like a vulture. David and Mary Margaret giggling together a few chairs down from him, they may as well be yelling procreation from the rooftops how discreet they were being, or rather not being. Belle came skipping over to him, a rather large smile on her face "You having a good time?"

Holding up the whiskey, he sloshed it around lightly in the glass, giving a single nod.

"You should have put that Christmas jumper on," she giggled, nudging him in a playful fashion.

He raised his eyebrows at her, shaking his head slowly from side to side "_Really_ dearie?"

The corners of her mouth curling in a smile, her fingers gently brushing through his hair.

"Hey!" Henry shouted to his grandpa and Belle, pointing above their heads, about a foot or so out, but still inevitably there, he may be a Christmas novice but it did not take a genius to work out what exactly his grandson was pointing at. In fact he didn't actually have enough time to even look up before Belle had leant down, cupping her hand to his cheek to press a kiss to his lips, snaking his arm up, his palms coming to rest at the small of her back, tilting his head to the side. She was gone way before he was finished with her, mewling in protest as she pulled away.

Perhaps he could get used to Christmas.


End file.
